Draft connection for vehicles.



No. 815,655. f PATENTED MAR.20, 1906. i

A. T. STUTSON. 4

DRAFT CONNECTION FOR VEHIGLESI APYIJIOATIoN FILED $311.19. 1905.

T aZZ whom itmay concern:

ATES' orrron.

' A A T; sT-U'rs-o-N, or COLUMBUS, oHro. DRAFT CONNECTION FOR- VEHICLES.

B'it known that I, ADA T T Gilli 'zen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of one in which'the several parts Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvement'sin Draft Connections for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful iilnprovement'in draft connections for vehi- 0 es.

The invention has relation more particularly to an improvement on the draft connecti on patented by William M. Ricketts on November 17, 1903, and numbered 744,236.

The object of the improvement is to greatly simplify and strengthen'the device and at the same time reduce the number of parts and the cost of construction.

Finally, the object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described that will be strong, durable, and efiicient and will not beliable to get out of working order. 1

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the novel details of construction and operation, a preferable embodiment of which is described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved draft connection. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical'sectional view taken on the liner as of Fig.'2.

In the drawings the numerals 1 and 2 indicate the upper and lower members-respectively, which are bowed or of arcuate shape,

curved tongue 4*,

so as to snugly embrace the'end or intermediate portion of a whiflietree. At its rear end the lower member is provided with an upwardly-inclined loop 3, which is engaged by a formed at the rear end of the upper member. By this arrangement the members are locked together at their rear ends and a hinged joint is provided. Thefront portions of the members are extended. so as to form flat, parallel ears 4 and 5, which are capable of lying fiat against one another and are provided with corresponding perforations or openings 6 and 7, respectively, of which the perforation 6 is angular in cross-section, so as to receive and hold against rotation the squared portion of a bolt 8, while the perforation 7 is smooth, soas to allow the threaded dportion of the bolt to pass therethrough an project some distance below the lower Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed AprillQ, 1905;. Serial No. 256,405.

' ment, whereby the clip members 1 with'the whiffietree.

Patented March 20, 1906.

ear 7 to receive an ordinary nut 9, which is threaded on the bolt 8 so as to draw'the ears 5 together and securely fasten the members 1 and 2 about the whiffletree. One of the 6b ears, preferably the lower ear 5, is extended and enlarged: so as to form an eye portion 10.

For convenience in connecting a trace or the like to the device a suitable hook 11 is looped at its rear end, as at 12, through the eyepiece, with its free end bent upon itself,

so as to provide a loose and universal connec ti onwith the eyepiece, it being understood that the hook is connected with the eyepiece 1 10 at right angles thereto, thus allowing the hook to swing in all directions. p

In fitting the dev ce to a whiflietree ordinarily it is merely necessary to loosen the nut 9 so as to allow the bolt 8 a limited moveand 2 may 7 '5 be pulled slightly apart, so that they may be slipped over the end of the whiffietree, or the bolt 8 may be entirely removed from the ears 4' and 5, so as to permit the clip members being sufiiciently separated upon their hinged connection fora direct application to any intermediate portion of the whifiiletree. After the clip has been properly looked upon the whiffletree the members 1 and 2 are swung toward each other so as to bring the ears 4 8 and 5 together, when the bolt 8 may be passed through the openings 6 and 7 and the nut 9 threaded on'the bolt and tightened up so as to draw the members into snug engagement For holding the mem- 9o bers in position on the whifiietree I provide on their inner central portions suitable spurs, teeth, or pointed projections 13, which will bite into the tree and assure a rigid connection when the parts are assembled.

From the foregoing description it willbe apparent that I have provided a very simple device and one in which all the parts except the nut 9, bolt 8, and hook 11 may be cast or molded, thus obviating the necessity of spe- 10o cial machine-work and greatly reducing the expense of production, but at the same time providing a device equallyas strong as other devices employed in the same art. Furthera more, by the provision of the eyepiece 10 a universal connection is had with the hook 11,

which is of great advantage, as it allows the hook to move in all directions. This is a great improvement over the Ricketts patent herein mentioned, the hook 10 of which canno not'move laterally and which device is much more expensive to make.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, a pair of cast members pivotally connected at one end and provided at the opposite end with integral ears formed with registering openings, means passed through the openings for securing the ears together, an eyepiece formed integral with one of the ears, and a hook directly engaged with the eyepiece and having a universal connection therewith.

2. A device of the character described embodying a pair of arcuate members, one member formed with a loop and the other member formed with a tongue adapted to engage in the loop to form a hinged connec tion between the members when they are assembled, the free ends of the members being provided with perforations adapted to receive a fastening device for securing the members together, one of the free ends of the members being extended and formed with an eyepiece, and a hook having universal engagement with the eyepiece.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADA T. STUTSON.

Witnesses:

A. L. PHELPS, M. B. SonLnY. 

